The September 11th terrorist attacks unleashed unimaginable devastation upon the United States and subsequently upon the Arab-Islamic world. While the government of the United States scrambled jets and prepared soldiers for war, there was another battle, arguably more important than the war the United States was preparing to wage. This battle was waged not on battlefields but in classrooms, between scholars who struggled to define and rectify the democratic deficit in the Muslim world. Theories have been offered ranging from Islam and democracy being diametrically opposed, all the way to Islam considering democracy, or democratic principles, as essential. Lurking in the midst of these two extreme theories are the more moderate and demonstrable theories.
Extreme viewpoints fail to accurately assess and address the true situation. A more accurate theory is that which perceives Islam and democracy as being neither innately hostile toward each other, nor inextricably linked. Rather, an accurate theory proposes that Islam and democracy share principles essential to both. This theory is substantiated by evidence that current Muslim hostility can be explained by the history of Western intervention in the region and that within the sacred texts (Qur’an and Sunna) the presence of modern democratic principles provides strong textual confirmation of inherent compatibilities with Islam.
The contemporary Islam-democracy dichotomy can be best understood as the result of historical intervention in the region by Western democratic powers, which triggered serious conflict between the West and the Islamic world. The list of historical intervention by Western powers is long, but some cases are more historically significant than others...
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Democracy and Islam, an article written by Irfan Ahmad1 strives to show that there is a possibility that Islam can move towards democracy. On the other hand, Islam and Liberal Democracy: A Historical Overview, an article written by Bernard Lewis2 discusses how a democracy is unable to work in Islamic States. In this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting the two articles. Both Bernard and Irfan carry weight in their arguments and have certain strong points, as well as weaknesses. The major difference between the two articles is the variation of the core definition of democracy that the writers have, and their distinct perspectives of the workings of a democracy. In addition, the articles also differ in their chosen format and the authors’ thoughts on the Catholic and Western influence. The fundamental dispute of democracy and Islam are strong in both articles, and they are resolved in a respective manner. Irfan was successful in formulating a more compelling case and was able to maintain better structure; however, I am a firm believer that Islam is a theocratic system and it is not compatible with democracy as a system of governance.
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